The Ukrainian timber industry must contribute to the domestic economy – creating jobs, generating added value and boosting exports. That is why the government, in collaboration with the business community, is seeking solutions to strike a balance between access to raw materials, harvesting volumes and environmental requirements.
This was discussed during a meeting at the Transcarpathian Regional State Administration attended by Taras Vysotskyi, Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine (via online), as well as industry representatives and relevant associations. The focus is on ensuring a supply of raw materials for processors, restricting the export of unprocessed timber, and preparing the Industry Development Strategy up to 2030.
The state is taking action in several areas: restricting the export of roundwood, working to increase harvesting within environmental standards, launching support for modernisation, and finalising the sectoral strategy. In particular, the Government is already implementing a series of measures to stabilise the sector and bring it into line with EU standards:
- the operational plan for implementing the State Forest Management Strategy up to 2035 has been updated;
- a pilot project has been launched to implement the EU Regulation on the prevention of deforestation (EUDR);
- Forest management plans have been extended to ensure the continuous operation of forestry enterprises;
- Management reform has been streamlined through the transformation of the State Enterprise ‘Forests of Ukraine’;
- The issue of supplying the domestic market with timber has been resolved;
- An electronic logging permit with geolocation is being introduced.
At the same time, the Strategy provides for an increase in timber harvesting and the development of value-added processing.
“Ukrainian timber must be used within the Ukrainian economy. This means jobs, taxes, export revenue and stronger businesses. Our task is to create conditions under which businesses will have predictable access to raw materials and will be able to invest in further processing,” emphasised Taras Vysotskyi.
Following the meeting, the Ministry of Economy will review the market participants’ proposals and draw up a list of specific steps to support the woodworking and furniture sectors. These are measures designed to help enterprises plan production more effectively, invest in modernisation, expand domestic processing and strengthen Ukraine’s position in foreign markets. The event was organised jointly with the Wood Industry UA platform, the Federation of Employers of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Furniture Manufacturers Association as part of the ‘Government-Business Dialogue’ initiative.
The Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine
